Tristan Strong Keeps Punching

Not part of Riordanverse This book or series is published under Rick Riordan Presents and its contents are not considered canon to the Riordanverse.

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching
Attribution
Author	Kwame Mbalia
Publication Information
Publisher	Rick Riordan Presents
Release date	October 5, 2021
Chronology
Preceded by	Tristan Strong Destroys the World
Followed by	None

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching is the third and final book in the Tristan Strong Trilogy by Kwame Mbalia under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, it focuses on West African and African American mythology and folklore.

The book involves Tristan and friends going up the Mississippi River as they search for King Cotton.

Synopsis

...Tristan and his band of allies, drawn from African and African-American folklore, pursue their mortal enemy, King Cotton, one last time up the Mississippi River ...

Best selling author Rick Riordan presents the finally a Kwame Mbalia's Tristan Strong Trilogy, which Tristan Strong faces off against his archenemy, King Cotton, once and for all. After reuniting with Ayanna, who is now in his world, Tristan travels up the Mississippi River in pursuit of his archenemy, King Cotton. Along the way they encounter new haints who are dead set on preventing their progress north to Tristan's hometown of Chicago. It’s going to take many Alkean friends, including the gods themselves, the black flames of the afokena gloves, and all of Tristan's inner strength to deliver justice once and for all. Shocking twists, glorious triumphs, and a cast of unforgettable characters make this series conclusion as satisfying as it is entertaining.

Development

On August 7 2020 the synopsis was revealed on Twitter by Kwame Mbalia. Kwame Mbalia announced the release date on Twitter.

Plot

Reunions and Rescues

King Cotton

Two weeks after Alke is destroyed, Tristan Strong is in New Orleans, Louisiana for a family reunion before heading back to Chicago, however his parents couldn’t make it. As they finish taking a tour of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, Terence, his younger cousin, drills him on medical facts as he gets an alert that an Alkean is in danger in the French Quarter as Anansi tells him to get a move on. His knuckle also bursts into a small silver flam which he hides. As he looks around he finds King Cotton walks around. Tristan plans to go after him, but Terence stops him to ask about dinner as their grandparents approach them. Granddad Strong comments on Tristan's wondering attention as Nana speaks with Terence. Just then the SBP is snatched and Tristan and his grandfather chase the thief. Tristan and his grandfather chase the thief, but they lose track of him. As Tristan looks around and sees a group of three drummers and a trumpet player. As Tristan gets frustrated, his grandfather points out the band and he notices the trumpet player is missing. After describing what the thief looked like, they track him down to Louis Armstrong Park. The thief removes his hat and braids fall out, revealing that the thief is a girl. She reveals that she knows who Tristan is and tells him to follow her. After telling his grandfather he'll meet back up with him, he follows the girl. She introduces herself as Seraphine and, as Anansi criticizes his speed, leads Tristan to Artillery Park. She shows him a barge and explains children are in danger. He takes the SBP back and goes to leave, but she reveals she knows Anansi is trapped in the SBP and her employer knows he can help. She shows him a stone that, much to the horror of Tristan and Anansi belongs to Junior. Seraphine tells Tristan Junior, Ayanna, and Gum Baby are walking into a trap and he agrees to help.

As they are about to board a dingy to get to the barge, Anansi sense someone and they hide before attacking, only to realize it is Terrence, who followed them after seeing them as he waited in line at a restaurant. He questions them and they move towards the barge. Tristan sees his cousin's pizza spatula and asks to borrow it, but he is reluctant and, after hearing a scream, agrees only if he can come with them and Tristan gets him a new one. Tristan agrees and the three set sail. They struggle against the current but make it to the side of the barge. Tristan and Seraphine climb aboard while Terrence is tasked with watching the dinghy. They search a few shipping containers, but all are empty. Seraphine says her employer was right about prisoners on the barge as Tristan feels they are being watched as they open another contain. However when they open it and throw the pin aside, they find Terrence behind them, who is scared. After opening another container, they find Gum Baby. She jumps on Tristan's shoulder as Seraphine, who is in awe at Gum Baby, politely introduces herself as Tristan introduces a stunned Terrence. As Gum Baby mentions how she, Ayanna, and Junior were separated by a haint, Terrence asks it it walked on four legs. When Tristan asks why he thinks that, he says it's close by them.

Anger builds up in Tristan as he summons his shadow gloves and attacks the haint. Gum Baby assists him and manages to get the haint stuck. However it transforms into a spider like creature made out of wood with a hammer head. Terrence recognizes it as a Coffle, a device used to shackle slaves together as they were moved to the fields to work. The Coffle starts to attack Terence as Tristan keeps attacking in a blind rage until nothing is left. The others stair at him and Gum Baby says his hands are on fire. Tristan starts to panic and accidentally sets the barge on fire. The others flee just as a wave spontaneously puts out the fire and Mami Wata appears.

Messages and Warnings, An Attack, and Reuniting with a Friend

Seraphine disappears as they war bought to Mami Wata's steamboat, the River Queen, and Tristan sleeps until sun down the following day. After convincing the Strong family they won a party on a yacht, they celebrate as Tristan explains everything to his grandparents, who try to comfort Terrence, Mami Wata, John Henry, Nyame, and Anansi. After telling them King Cotton is back and they have to act immediately, they reveal to Tristan that they will handle it and he is being sent home to Chicago with Gum Baby. He tries to protest, but they say his anger demonstrates during the previous night makes him to much of a liability and take the SBP from him. They say their goodbyes and leave. Tristan fumes as they set sail, ignoring Gum Baby's names for a steamship she wants. Suddenly he realizes Gum Baby is missing and he goes to look for. When he opens the porthole, a large snake slithers inside. He tries to summon his gloves, but the memory of the previous night stops him from doing so. They snake tells him to tell Mami Wats that something is wrong with the waters in Old Angola and the gods will fall if the evil grows. The snake vanishes as the room is filled with spirits who take no notice of Tristan. Eddie Garvey, Brer Bear's children, and his great aunt Denise. However Old Familiar acknowledges him and he sees High John lecturing the ghosts. The god vanishes after he appears to ask Tristan about what he sees and the other spirits follow suit. Tristan wakes up to see the French Quarter in a golden light and sees the stories that make up the city and its citizens in the languages of its inhabitants through the ages. After the light fades he sees the barge he was on the night before filled with spirits of all ages from different time periods covered being watched by haints. He sees several coffles heading north, but one heading to the hotel his family was staying at. Thinking this is contacted to the snake's message and worried for his family, he goes to help.

As Tristan runs through the French Quarter to warn his family and the gods, he sees King Cotton at a cafe and the two talk. The haint shows him one of Junior's stones and Tristan becomes angry. King Cotton offers him a choice, tell him where the gods are and have his friends and family walk away safely, or his loved ones and civilians get hurt. Tristan turns him down and the haint unleashes a trio of coffles on the public before slipping away in the chaos. As civilians panic, Tristan starts to think of a plan not involving his shadow gloves. As two of the coffles find someone, the third attacks a duplex as children on the second floor pelt it with whatever they can find as Tristan grabs a pipe and goes on the offensive. However he is soon outmatched as the three surround him and he notices his hands are on fire. Before he can attack, a girl in a wheelchair grabs him and pulls him behind a barricade. She tells him to move just as the barricade breaks and a hooded figure in a mask approaches them. They run as the figure stays put. The girl introduces her as Jess and takes Tristan to a rooftop occupied by children, she explains that the children are runaways and that they have been dealing with coffles for weeks, shocking Tristan. Just then the leader of the band of runaways, Memphis Jones, singles that they are in trouble and Jess has Tristan help her push a pile of debris off the roof. They crush a coffle and go down to investigate. On the ground, they see two figures and hide as they report to someone through a walkie talkie that they could not find any children and leave. Just then Memphis appears and shows Tristan an article, addressing him by name, about the incident in the French Quarter, dubbing it a riot and showing a picture of him angrily throwing a drink. Memphis has Jess take the children away so they and Tristan can talk. They push him to know who took the picture and he realizes the photographer was in front of him. Memphis emphasizes the work they do to keep the children safe from the monsters and society and how the public ignored the coffles because their minds are conditioned to see what they want to see. Memphis says Tristan should stay for the night and takes him to a room where he meets someone who told Memphis about him, Ayanna.

Old Angola and Running into the Patty-rollers

As they head back to the River Queen, Ayanna tells Tristan his grandmother that she told them to return to the boat. She then explains how she was separated from Gum Baby and Junior in a coffle attack and spent hours avoiding them in the river before Memphis found her, she shows Tristan a mask worn by one of their pursuers. They make it to the Mississippi and Tristan gives Memphis Seraphine's contact information, saying she knows people who can help. They leave as Tristan and Ayanna get aboard the River Queen. After returning to his cabin, she hugs Tristan just as Gum Baby arrives with the SBP and teases the two. Gum Baby hands the SBP to Tristan and asks to speak with Ayanna privately. Anansi rebuffs Tristan for failing to find his son and tells him Mami Wata wants to speak with him in the bridge, and to leave the SBP. He heads up to the bridge, and Mami Wata tells Tristan she needs his help as a spirit is trying to tell them something. He talks to the spirit, who tells them to turn around as Old Angola is not safe. As Mami wata asks what the spirit told him, Tristan sees a prison filled with prisoners working in the and their overseers and he realizes Old Angola is a prison. The other's voice their desire to keep going, even the River Queen wants to move forward. However Tristan sees something and, after taking Ayanna and Mami Wata's hands and putting Gum Baby on his head, he gets them to see the ghostly old mansion surrounding the prison as he realizes it is a former plantation. Tendrils dragging spirits into it, including the River Queen. Mami Wata tries and fails to break the ship free as she is ensnared by the tendrils and the others try to free her. Just then they notice a small shack transforming into a monster with King Cotton on the porch. He taunts them as he thanks Tristan for freeing him and giving him the strength he needed in Alke. He introduces the shack monster as Old Angola and leaves to find the Alkeans as Old Angola attacks. Tristan is locked in a state of anger until Ayanna snaps him out of it and tells him to help Mami Wata.

Patty Roller

They manage to break free and escape. After putting an exhausted Mami Wata in her cabin, Gum Baby steers the boat as Tristan and Ayanna inspect the damage. As they do, Anansi tells Tristan to talk to Ayanna and blackmails him with speeches Tristan wrote about Ayanna if he does not. When he meets up with Ayanna, she tells him a story about a friend she trained to become a pilot with who let his anger get the better of him during the Iron Monster Attacks to the point where he walks into a death trap. Tristan promises to keep a leveled head as they go to take the wheel from Gum Baby. They give Gum Baby a small banjo to play as Anansi forcibly listens to her play. Tristan gazes at the landscape as the SBP nearly goes overboard. He grabs it as Anansi insults Gum Baby's ability to play the banjo. The two talk and he tells Tristan the consequences if he fails to control the charms on his bracelet. Tristan activates the spirit bead and sees the ghosts of African Americans moving north. A girl looks at him fearfully as Gum Baby says they need him. They reach a fork in the river and find three steamships, two beached and a third upside down. As they question if it's a trap, they hear a cry for help and Tristan goes to investigate. He sees a woman pinned under debris and he pulls her out. She introduces herself as Patty Roller and addresses Tristan be name. He is shocked upon hearing this and notices Patty was in a hole and the beached ships now block him from the River Queen. Tristan tries to run, but Patty clamps onto his wrist and says she will "re-educate" him and, when she mentions children, Tristan realizes she has been kidnapping the children. Luckily, the River Queen smashes through the two other boats and Patty's grip loosens as Tristan makes a run for it. He sees three ghosts of black men who point towards a city. Tristan finds a sign saying the city is Vicksburg, Mississippi and he realizes they are soldiers. As Patty comes after him, the ghosts point towards Vicksburg and he trusts them. As they run along the river, Tristan tires as the ghosts reach a plaque mentioning the USS Cairo and the oldest looking soldier points to the river and says a story is nearby. Just then Patty's ship appears behind them and Tristan yells at them to go, but they keep talking about a story and pointing at the river. Tristan sees something and uses one of the beads to see the ghost's stories. Tristan sees the older soldier and his nephew, John, walking to Vicksburg to join the Union in the United States Colored Troops and fight for their freedom. After a time skip he sees John's Uncle saying goodbye to his nephew before getting in an ironclad, the USS Cairo. Tristan then sees things from the perspective of John's Uncle as he sails away. Before leaving, Tristan sees High John. After viewing a battle he returns to the present with the USS Cairo intact and ready for battle. John's Uncle asks Tristan for orders, and he says to attack the haint. With the combined attacks from the USS Cairo and the River Queen, Patty is pushed down river.

When he gets back on the River Queen, Tristan tells the others what happened and tells them his theory on what Cotton's plan is, to gather the stories of African Americans where they suffered from the most. After looking at a map, Ayanna predicts that Cotton's next target is Fort Pillow north of Memphis, Tennessee. Anansi becomes elated and reveals he has sensed various Alkean signals from Memphis and believes his son is their. As Tristan tries to tell the trickster to not get his hopes up, he scolds Tristan for failing to find Junior and reveals he has put in a request to Nyame to be taken out of Tristan's custody, be given his true form back, and have Tristan removed as anansesem. Mami Wata sadly confirms it and places Tristan on probation until they hear back from the sky god, confines the boy to his cabin, and confiscates the SBP.

Memphis Old and Modern

As Tristan sits in his quarters worrying about losing his powers, Gum Baby comes and gives him a pep talk. She says he can be a hero without the SBP and, much to his surprise, he gets his spirit back. He says they need to get off at Memphis, and Gum Baby reveals she had Anansi speed things up and Ayanna is waiting for them in a boat. They make it to shore and get a taxi. They stop outside the Memphis Zoo, with Gum Baby paying with a credit card, and see spirits fleeing and High John flying around on Old Familiar. They find the zoo in ruins and see two masked figures in cloaks, Harold and Darla, inspecting birds in a partially destroyed aviary. They realize they are looking for Old Familiar as Gum Baby successfully sets a trap and, after the two are subdued, Tristan and Ayanna walk over to question them. However they recognize Tristan and Harold tries to call the police and pin everything on the boy, but Old Familar swoops down and grabs Tristan. After Tristan gets on his back, the giant crow swoops down at crash into the aviary, however the bird instead brings Tristan somewhere as he watches Memphis turn into a few burned houses. When they land, Tristan sees John angrily pounding the ground after the destruction and spots High John in a window, asking Tristan for help.

Thandiwe

Tristan enters the cabin High John is in and discovers the poor state of the god, he explains how he had a run in with King Cotton and it took a lot out of him. They exit as they pass John and High John explains he is a varient of his story. The god explains how he ended up in a bookstore and consumed his own stories for power, it worked initially but by doing so he erased those stories. He explains how King Cotton is trying to consume stories to erase history so he can shape it as he wants it to be. However he starts talking to Thandiwe and forgets he was talking to Tristan once he returns his attention to the boy. High John tells Tristan he has to show him something, but cannot go with him. Tristan reluctantly grabs onto Old Familiar as goes off. He finds himself by the shack, really a single floor house in a neighborhood, intact. He goes inside and realizes it belonged to John. However soon a bomb is thrown in the window and the house erupts in flames. Tristan hears voices saying the burn everything down and drive them all out. Tristan watches the house burn as Old Familiar takes him away. He returns to High John, who tells Tristan he just saw the 1866 Memphis Race Riots, and tells him he is fading. High John tells Tristan to find Thandiwe before going limp. Tristan carries High John to a tree as John follows. When he rests the god at the trunk of a tree, he gives Tristan his bag and the boy reluctantly takes it. High John says to find Thandiwe as Old Familiar swoops down between them and Tristan appears in modern day Memphis with the tree tripling height and a bed of calla lilies in the shape of a sleeping man. Tristan cries for the god as a black SUV pulls up and opens the passenger side door. Tristan notices a crow hood orpiment and an O and F embroidered on the driver's seat and realizes the car is Old Familiar. John gets in as well and they pick up Ayanna and Gum Baby, call Nana Strong, and go to find Thandiwe. They arrive at an abandoned warehouse and enter, where they are cornered by a dozen hooded figures. One of them reveals herself to be Thadiwe and she asks Tristan how High John died.

Rolling Thunder and the Redliners

Granny Z

They walk down a hallway, the others oblivious to John, as Thandiwe explains she and High John ended up their fleeing Alke and the old woman who owns the facility let them stay rent free if they help out. They emerge on a catwalk overlooking an indoor skate park as Thandiwe explains how she and High John helped get the word out about the place, leading to more run away and troubled children seeking refuge there. A girl hurts herself and the princess of the ridge folk goes to help. When the others arrive the girl, Chayse, notices John despite not possessing an adinkra. They realize Chayse, and the others, are in danger if Cotton finds them and they call a meeting. After everyone meets by a bowl, Thandiwe and another girl named Hafina perform skate tricks as they wait. After everyone is present, Tristan tells them magic is real, however one boy, Dexter, thinks Tristan is crazy until he activates his power and Ayanna and Thandiwe show of their items and Gum Baby reveals herself. The kids cheer just as someone asks what is going on. An old woman is a tracksuit appears, who Gum Baby addresses as Granny Z. After Tristan asks who she is, Granny Z dismisses everyone, save for Tristan and John, who she takes to her office. When they sit down, Granny Z explains how she helps all children and asks Tristan why he isn't helping. He says he is focusing on taking down King Cotton, but she says that is only an excuse and asks why he is angry. He says he doesn't know but she pushes him. Tristan finally screams that he is angry at the world, that history is being erased and people are being mistreated but no one seems to care. Just as he calms down, an explosion is heard.

The group of grey robed masked wearers appear again, with Harold and Darla, as they tell Rolling Thunder they are trespassing and have called the police and reveal they are called the Redliners. Just then Granny Z comes over and orders them to leave. Soon Patty Roller arrives on a talking horse haint, Twennymiles. When Granny demands they leave, the lights go out and the children start screaming. Patty and Twennymiles get away with a child, Chayse, as Tristan, Ayanna, Thandiwe, John, and Gum Baby chase after her in Old Familiar. As they follow the haints, they go into a distorted world to follow them, the same method used by High John. They eventually find themselves at an outlet mall twenty miles outside of Memphis and Tristan remembers the horse from a story his grandmother told him. Everyone has a bad feeling, but Tristan believes they are hiding in one of the stores and he gets out. The others, save for John, follow him into a store called Patty Roller's Wig Emporium. They find various wigs for different purposes, such as rewriting history and pushing people from their homes. Tristan suggests they spit up, however the girls are against it but reluctantly agree. Thandiwe gives him a club in case he is attacked. As Tristan goes down the isle, he hears a voice over an intercom and a creaking following him. He realizes the store has security cameras and he heads towards the security office. He finds it empty and the voice over the intercom says Tristan cannot save his friends and Chayse and he realizes it is a trap. He calls out to his friends and hears Ayanna get cut off. He goes to investigate and notices the back door is open. He goes out to find shadows with whips for hands and he becomes petrified. Soon Gum Baby arrives and they fight them off the little success. Old Familiar, Ayanna, and Thandiwe arrive and the Breakers disburse. When they leave, the group finds Gum Baby motionless.

They drive north in silence and meet up with Mami Wata, Nyame, and Keelboat Annie aboard the River Queen. Tristan waits outside a room as the others talk. When Ayanna exits, he hears the gods say Gum Baby's magic was sucked out of her. They call him in and he address the gods. They scald Tristan for leaving and confine him to his quarters until they reach Chicago. Tristan says he had to stop Cotton, but the gods say they have been searching for the haint with no success. As they consul Tristan over High John, the boy says that gods cannot die as long as their stories are told and vows, as an anansesem, to tell them. Keelboat Annie hugs him and saying something about him being an anansesem, but the River Queen comes to an abrupt holt near St. Louis as Ayanna tells them to come outside. They head to the bow to see half a dozen ships occupied by redliners, who demand they handover Tristan quickly as they need to move. The gods stand in front of the boy as he sneaks away. As he looks for a lifeboat, Ayanna spots him and says they are friends and she will help him. Thandiwe arrives and teases the two as Ayanna shows them a new raft. The three and John skirt around the Illinois side of the river as they struggle to think of their next move. When Tristan reveals he brought Gum Baby and Tristan and the girls hug, he thinks he knows where Cotton is and says John can help.

National City and the Haint Train

Tristan tells Ayanna and Thandiwe John's story of being born free and kidnapped into slavery as he subconsciously takes control of the raft and flies them to the middle of nowhere. They use Gum Baby's phone to find that they are over a place called National City, but only see fields. After the girls question how John could find Cotton, Tristan realizes Cotton is hiding them in a different realm. The girls take Tristan's hands and they see a city being built out in fire. They find the train station and discover the missing children with pieces of Alke in them being herded on to a train. They spot Old Angola, having almost tripled in size, as they plot their next move. After deciding to take out the plantation monster, John stands up. They evade the plantation monster to the best of their abilities as the train with the spirits departs. Thinking quickly, Tristan tries to read the stories of all the persecuted at one. He succeeds for the most part, but becomes a target for Old Angola. The plantation monster attacks the raft and the three living black out.

Tristan comes to in a concrete cell missuing his bacelet and backpack. Terrified, he starts shouting until a slot opens up and King Cotton dangles his bracelet just out of reach. The haint thanks Tristan for giving him the power to reshape the world and says he will start by taking out Tristan's loved ones with the boy by his side. Tristan refuses and the haint lunges at him and grabs him shirt collar. Tristans says he would rather rot and Cotton leaves him. Tristan sits in his cell and, after a while, he realizes he is on a train. He thinks of his friends and family and the gods that helped him as John appears. Tristan is shocked as he is seeing the ghost without his bracelet. After finding the threat of Alke in him, Tristan focuses on the door and breaks it down. He finds that he is in the end of the train as he and John decide to cause trouble. Tristan uses the shadow gloves to smash through the train, freeing children and going to the front as John follows. One of the captives, a teenager named Kweku, wishes to join Tristan, but he tells him to take the three toddlers with him and Kweku reluctantly agrees. Tristan comes to a locked door and busts it open to find Junior inside. Junior says he was just about to give up on being rescued as they make their way to a trashed and abandoned dining car. Tristan sees his backpack and finds Gum Baby, much to his relief, but no bracelet. He finds Gum Baby's phone and calls the River Queen, learning that John Henry and the other gods have arrived for reinforcements, however Anansi is not present. The crew of the River Queen rejoice when they learn he found Junior, but panic when they learn King Cotton has the bracelet. As Ayanna asks where they are headed, Tristan and Junior enter the next car and Tristan freezes in fear after recognizing the car as an L-train car and realizes Cotton plans to end things in Chicago.

They enter the car to find a redliner reading a newspaper. He spots them and tells them to turn around as Harold speaks over the intercom and a breaker appears. The intercom announces the next stop is Bronzeville, his home neighborhood, as Tristan and Junior back into the next car and Lewis, one of the kids he freed, tells him he cannot find Kweku. Tristan picks the young boy up and runs into the next car with Junior. Tristan has Junior take Lewis to safety as he fights off the breakers. However he starts to tire but continues to fight as John Henry appears and tells Tristan to rest. Tristan then notices Keelboat Annie jamming her keel pole into the wheels as redliners abandon the train. As Lake Michigan comes into view, Old Angola can be seen. As Tristan heads to the lakefront, Ayanna, Thandiwe, John, and Junior come over to him and they figure out a plan to stop Old Angola. They head to Oakland Beach as Ayanna realizes that all their final battles have happened on a beach, when a group of Redliners blocks them. They tell the children to turn around as members of Rolling Thunder and residents of Bronzeville come out and rally against the Redliners. As the hate group retreats, Tristan and the others advice, but he gives John High John's pouch and tells him to stay behind. When the four get close enough, they see King Cotton syphoning energy from the living plantation as Patty Roller and Twennymiles watch. Cotton then acknowledges Tristan and company.

Battle of Lake Michigan

King Cotton approaches the four as the crowd grows. Tristan says he is there to stop him, but Cotton says he just begun and offers Tristan another chance to rule by his side. The boy refuses again and threatens to put him in another bottle as Cotton riles him up by saying the history of the country has been glossed to hide the worst deeds done to his people as Tristan takes what he says to mind. The haint then attacks the crowd as civilians scatter. Junior, Thandiwe, and Ayanna fight back to no avail as Tristan struggles to summon the shadow gloves without hurting the civilians running past him. As Cotton goes to grab him, John Henry appears and blocks the haint. Cotton attacks John Henry with little success as Tristan rejoins his friends. They watch as Cotton almost over powers the steel driving man and help get civilians away safely. Just then the other gods arrive and box Cotton in, however Tristan realizes it is a trap. He warns the gods to late as Patty Roller leads hundreds of breakers into battle against the gods.

Tristan, Ayanna, Thandiwe, and Junior make it to the River Queen and watch as the gods fight King Cotton's forces. The gods put up a fight but soon grow tired. As the others want to help the gods, Tristan refuses. The others berate his decision until he says they should not fight King Cotton, but rather Old Angola. As the others ask how he plans to sneak up to the moving plantation, Tristan points to the sky as Old Familiar flies up to them with Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit, Anansi, who is freed from the SBP, and the fourth passenger on his back. As Junior stairs at his father and the girls discuss a sneak attack, Tristan jumps into the beach and towards Old Angola, but stops just as a tentacle comes out of a door. Just then Anansi speaks with Patty Roller about stealing his son. As the haint on horseback is saying his son needed to be re-educated, her voice cuts of and the fourth passenger, Granny Z, comes off and berates Patty for hurting children as she and Twennymiles are swallowed by the beach. Tristan uses the opportunity to sneak onto Old Angola. Tristan wanders the halls of the living plantation as hallways and doors shift around and he hears the house trying to eat him. As he walks he hears a second quieter voice asking where someone is. Eventually he comes across a cluster of tentacles and he stops. He sees Gum Baby's spirit and takes her body out of his backpack and calls for her. He calls to her but she ignores him. Tristan then starts to tell Gum Baby's story, which gets her attention, but attracts the tentacles of Old Angola as well. Thankfully Gum Baby gets back to her body and saves Tristan. He hugs her happily as dozens of breakers swarm them Tristan summons the shadow gloves as Gum Baby fires sap at the breakers. The two combine their powers to create flaming sap projectiles that takes down the living plantation. As they leave the crumbling building, Tristan trips and watches Gum Baby fall to the beach as he passes out.

Tristan wakes up in the remnants of Old Angola with King Cotton standing nearby in tattered clothes, scolding Tristan for ruining his plans and says he will start over. However Tristan says he finished as Cotton says their will always be people who look good in their deeds compared to him. As Tristan thinks about the atrocities that were committed against people like him that happened while the haint was trapped in a bottle, he notices his friends and the gods watching him, as with a group of bystanders recording. He gets back up, summons the shadow gloves, and fights. At first the fight goes in Cotton's favor, however Tristan thinks of all that is at stake and gives it his all, he attacked the haint saying "we keep punching" as the shadow gloves set King Cotton on fire and he disintegrates before Tristan, saying the boy cannot defeat him as he is reduced to a pile of ashes.

Epilogue

After the battle, Tristan's allies congratulate him as he exits the ruble that was Old Angola. A few days later, Nyame gives Tristan the SBP back, but without Anansi, who has gone missing. The sky god decides to take the others gods on a tour of the United States to search for more Alkeans, buying a gold tour bus to do so. A month after the incident, Tristan is watching a news report on the SBP on children displaying Alkean magic as as he dad calls him to get to school. He rushes out to be driving to school by Old Familiar, going with Thandiwe, Junior, and Ayanna, who are now his schoolmates. Gum Baby goes with them and, upon arriving in home room, learn their teacher, Mr. Tyson, has moved to Delaware and their new teacher, Mr. Kwaku will be in shortly. When Mr. Kwaku arrives, Tristan and his friends, especially Junior, are surprised to learn he is Anansi.

Characters

• Tristan Strong
• Terence Strong
• Walter Strong
• Nana Strong
• King Cotton
• Seraphine
• Gum Baby
• Mami Wata
• John Henry
• Nyame
• High John
• Old Familiar
• Eddie Garvey
• Brer Bear's Son
• Brer Bear's Daughter
• Denise
• Jess
• Memphis Jones
• Ayanna
• Patty Roller
• John
• John's Uncle
• Harold
• Darla
• Thandiwe
• Chayse
• Hafina
• Dexter
• Granny Z
• Twennymiles
• Keelboat Annie
• Kweku
• Marcus
• Ruby
• Lewis
• Junior
• Timothy
• Sarah
• Rose
• Brer Bear
• Brer Rabbit
• Alvin Strong
• Jessica Strong

Chapters

1. Stay Strong
2. A New Mission
3. The Return
4. Catch a Fire
5. Lectures and Warningsss
6. Mortar Over Bones
7. When the Haints... Come Marching In
8. The Kids Are All Right...for Now
9. The Ferryman's Warning
10. Angola
11. Haint No River Wide Enough
12. Haint Blue
13. If One of Us Ain't Free...
14. The Gods Must Be Cranky
15. Real Heroes Take Taxis
16. The Old Tricky Sticky
17. Gods in Grayscale
18. Spirit Utility Vehicle
19. The Rolling Thunder
20. Erzulie
21. The Redliners
22. Patty Roller's Wig Emporium
23. The Gods Hate Redliners
24. The Hidden City
25. Alke Is a Story
26. The Boys Are Back in Town
27. Breaker, Breaker
28. Chicago Over Everything
29. Beachfront Breaker Hunt
30. A New Challenger Has Entered
31. She Don't Miss
32. The Gum Buddies
33. The Final Fight of Tristan Strong
34. Epilogue

Trivia

• The book is coming out on the same date as Rick Riordan's Daughter of the Deep, in the same way Tristan Strong Destroys the World came out on the same date as Rick Riordan's The Tower of Nero.
• This book is the only one in the trilogy to not depict Tristan wearing Old Man Rawlen's Gloves on the cover.
• In Chapter 16, it there is a line that says "Somehow, the little terror had finessed her way into riding on my shoulder ("Clearly, Gum Baby's the best lookout.") and she was snapping pictures of the damage as we crept past Cat Country, where the lions and tigers-and, bear with me, were those black panthers?-were kept." This is a clear refrence to the famous line from the film "The Wizard of Oz".